Wall Township on the New Jersey Shore is just one hour from Manhattan, but it’s truly a world away.
Jamie Haines, MA, a physician recruiter and onboarding specialist at Meridian Health knows this only too well. She says the easy part of recruiting for Meridian Health’s six-hospital system in New Jersey is also the hard part: “We’re close to New York City, but we are NOT New York City. We’re in suburbia. So unless physicians hail from this area, they don’t know what a great place the Jersey Shore is.”
Haines has only been in the physician recruiting game for three years, but she’s already earned her stripes—and she couldn’t be happier about working at Meridian Health: New Jersey’s premier healthcare provider has earned a spot on FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list for six years running (they even created a video to demonstrate their happiness about the designation). Haines clearly isn’t alone when she talks about the great culture at Meridian Health. Most people who work there have longevity. When Hurricane Sandy struck the Jersey Shore, hundreds of Meridian Health’s 12,000 team members were affected. “Our hospitals all had back-up power and were fortunately mostly unscathed, but countless colleagues had issues at home so Meridian Health set up makeshift help for everyone," Haines says. “The foundation’s annual gala even went “non-black-tie” with the proceeds benefitting local charities and the affected employees of Meridian.”
What’s the biggest recruiting challenge Haines has to overcome today?
In addition to the Jersey Shore Medical Center and K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, Haines recruits for four other hospitals in the system—plus over 100 of their practice sites. A recent merger means she’ll now be recruiting across a span of seven counties and she says one of her biggest recruiting challenges is staying relevant. The physician recruitment department hires physician assistants and nurse practitioners, but she also recruits for high-level surgical specialties. “There’s no middle ground and Meridian Health only hires the best of the best."
"National awareness is critical. I want every physician in the U.S. to know about Meridian Health.”
To do that, Haines she casts a wide, wide net. “The problem is there are so many sources. Where do I put my time and our recruiting dollars?”
Putting Doximity Talent Finder to work for Meridian Health
Haines started using Doximity Talent Finder in February this year and had her first hire via the Doximity tool in April—a Medical Director of Psychiatry! If you know anything about the psychiatry specialty, you know that’s no mean feat. “The doctor saw my job post on Doximity and reached out. It was very quick fire,” Haines says. “I’d been really digging into Doximity Talent Finder, learning how to effectively use all the tools, and I thought DocMails were going to be the most effective for reaching physician candidates,” says Haines. “DocMails definitely work, but I’m really happy about how job posts are pushed out to physicians in places where they’re hanging out. Doximity has added more and more features that appeal to physicians just in the amount of time I’ve been using it. I’m thrilled with how it all works.”
Haines travels frequently, so she raves about the Doximity Talent Finder mobile app. She also says she’s been a little surprised at the physicians who are actively using Doximity. “I expected the younger, new doctors who were raised on technology to be there, but the majority of my candidates are mid-career and seasoned physicians.”
"I'm on the road a lot, but I still get a lot of sourcing and recruiting work done with my phone and the Doximity Talent Finder app in hand.”
Haines has some great tips for using Doximity Talent Finder:
1. Keep it simple and personalize. “Recruiting is about building relationships, so I always personalize my DocMails and I send them one at a time," Haines says. “I also keep it simple. I review their Doximity profile, and I also Google them for pertinent information. Each DocMail I send is basically a personal note that says something like ‘I know you’re busy. but if you need a change call me.’ I get great responses from my DocMails and it gets the interaction going.”
2. Use Doximity Talent Finder to weed out the candidates who aren’t qualified for your opportunities. I get responses to job posts often and before I have a physician candidate's CV I do a spot check of their Doximity profile. I’ve been able to flag issues right up front, sometimes with just their photo. It has saved me hours and hours of work. In fact, I asked the Doximity team if they could work on a way to print out physician profiles as a CV and they’re already working on it!
3. Don’t discount the physicians who aren’t yet Doximity members. All licensed U.S. physicians have a profile on Doximity. You can’t send a DocMail to a physician who hasn’t claimed their profile, but current and relevant information is still displayed. Haines says, “If I come across a physician who fits the bill for an opportunity but they're not a Doximity member yet, I use the contact information on their profile and call for an email. It works every time!”
The team at Doximity Talent Finder gets rave reviews from Haines, too. “I have a voice with them,” she says. “They are so responsive."
"If I make a suggestion, the Doximity Talent Finder team makes it happen. They’re always adapting the tool to fit the needs of recruiters and I’m simply thrilled with how customer-focused they are.”
Haines joined the Doximity Recruiter Advisory Board early this year to put her expertise to work to create an even better physician recruitment product. Do you have a question for her? Send an email to us at talentfinder@doximity.com and she'll happily respond. Read all about another Innovator in Recruitment Steve Jacobs at Good Samaritan Health System here. now:
Point Pleasant Beach photo courtesy of VisitNJ.org
